What to look for when purchasing a Viper

dbow119

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Hi everyone,

Since I was a little kid I have always wanted a Viper SRT10. I set the goal of owning one by the time I'm 25 years old. I'm 23 now and about to graduate from my master's while working a part-time job throughout school so I'm happy to say I'll be graduating without any student loans. I sold my Corvette today and I just can't wait any longer so I have decided to search for my first Viper. I live in upstate NY so Vipers aren't common and when you do find one for sale, the owner normally wants a small fortune for it.

As Viper owners, I would love to get your opinion on things to look for when making a purchase.

1. I'm looking for a low mileage 2003-2006 Viper. So far they have ranged from 5k miles to 33k miles. Do you believe purchasing a car with 5k miles justifies spending a few thousand more compared to one that has 33k miles?

2. What do you feel is a fair price to pay for a 2003-2004 Viper with 5k to 33k miles? I don't want to pay more than $38k, but I don't know if getting a super low mileage car would justify paying low $40k range when it comes to resell or maintenance costs.

3. What should I look for that might suggest a Viper has been driven hard or been tracked?

4. Is the Viper a reliable car? Are there any parts that wear faster and require replacement more frequently?

5. In regards to maintenance, are there any fluids that should be flushed at a specific number of miles (besides oil of course)?

6. I have heard run flat tires are dangerous...is there any truth to this? If it is, which tires do you recommend?

7. Should the number of previous owners play a role in pricing? I don't know if a Viper is a car most people keep for a long period of time (maybe 2 owners over 10 years) or if you buy it and sell it every couple of years where 4 or 5 owners would be normal.

8. Do you feel painted stripes add value to the car?

9. Do you think $40,500 is a good deal or priced too high for a private party sale for a 2003 with 15k miles on it? It has painted racing stripes, Corsa exhaust, and oem car cover.

I appreciate your time and any information your could provide would be very helpful!

Thanks,

-Derek

P.S.-If any of you have a Viper for sale please let me know.
 

MoparMap

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Having just purchased one myself and being around the same age I can say you're probably right on the edge of the pricing for what you're looking for (at least from what I was seeing a few months ago). I checked multiple sources (Cars.com, Auto Trader, various Viper forums classified pages, etc.) and made up a spreadsheet of all the Vipers I found for sale in my price range (~40000 and under). I then went through each one and made notes regarding where it was located, how many miles, what color, whether it had a clean carfax, and any other notes like what aftermarket parts it had or if it had a salvage title or something. I originally really wanted a coupe, but since they didn't start them back up til 06 I pretty much determined they were out of my price limit. Most of what was in my range were cars with 35000+ miles. However, I don't necessarily think mileage hurts these cars too much. I bought mine with ~43k and am already up to 47k in 2 months and love it. The car is rock solid and will take anything you can throw at it. That being said I think you really should go look at whatever car you might be interested in in person. You can usually get a Viper owner local to the car to give it a once over for you, but only you can determine what you will settle for in terms of condition. I had the guy I bought mine from take it to a dealer to get a basic inspection before booking a plane ticket to see it myself. A plane ticket back home is always cheaper than buying a car to drive back. And it turned out to to cheaper for me to fly down and drive it home than to ship it back (won't always be the case, but a good way to get to know your car).

As far as answering your questions more directly...

1. I'd almost be more wary of a 10 year old car with very low mileage. A sitting car still needs maintenance and I've never been a fan of trailer queens, but that's just me.

2. From what I saw I think you're probably going to be pretty close to that $40k number at those miles. Get up around 40k miles and the prices I was seeing were more like $35-38k

3. Not sure on this one other than just trying to do some history on whatever car you get. I checked carfax's on my car and called some of the dealerships it went through to see how it got there (auction, trade in, etc.). You may be able to track down some of the previous owners as well.

4. They're not really any different than a regular car, just faster =). They seem to like tires and gas, mainly because they only make high performance tires in the large Viper sizes, so you don't get really high mileage out of them. I think the typical street tires are good for around 20k maybe if you're not too spirited with your driving.

5. If you read the owners manual on them it will tell you the suggested interval for changing fluids. Honestly if you just drive it for fun and don't track it I wouldn't really worry too much about changing stuff as often as they might suggest, though that will keep the car in top working order.

6. I think one of the main issues with the run flats is typically their age. The original tires would be ~10 years old, and on a car with plenty of torque they don't hold up well. Brand new ones are probably fine (the car was designed to use them, so they can't be that bad), but if you want more performance you're better off with regular tires.

7. I think you're right with both of your points. Some owners buy them as collectors and hang on to them and others buy them because they always wanted one, but find out they just don't like something about them for some reason. Some won't be able to put up with the harsher ride or lack of ammenities, others are just flat out scared of the power. The guy I bought mine from only owned it for a few months. I asked him about it and he said he always wanted one and would have liked to just rent one, but there wasn't any place to do that near him. He had a hard time driving it for more than an hour, but I drove it home 13 hours and didn't mind too much.

8. I wouldn't say they add any value particularly. Visual stuff is pretty much all subjective. My car has a painted dash to match the exterior that I really liked which made it more valuable to me, but other people couldn't care less. I looked at another one that had a painted stripe that was non-stock style and it just didn't work for me. The car was cheaper than the one I bought with fewer miles, but I just really didn't like the stripe and would have had to pay to change it, so the cheaper up front cost for the car was a wash.

9. That doesn't sound too bad, though you might be able to twist his arm a little on it to get it below $40. Keep in mind that you'll have to pay sales tax and tagging fees on top of that. I decided the maximum I wanted to pay all in with taxes and fees and then worked backward to see what I needed to get the car for to not exceed that.
 
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Lespauldude

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Do yourself a favor and PM Chuck Tator (aka Viper Wizard). Introduce yourself and run your questions by him. You will not find a more knowledgeable and helpful resource on this
car. Hands down, Chuck is the best. And, he is in South Salem NY. Many other Viper owners on this board can speak to what I am saying. Good luck with your quest.It will happen before you know it!

Scott
 

1bad540

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1 congrats its a great car and def more rare than most other sports cars in this price range. I personally always will pay more for a lower mile car, obviosly a cared for one. Youll get less rock chips less seat wear and less overall wear. Runflats stink period they are not meant to be on a car like this period so the best thing is to just get rid of them. Uf you dont know what to look for 100% get the car looked at by someone that does, many of these cars were hit within the few few weeks of ownership so low miles doesnt gaurentee it wasnt. In fact of the 4 vipers that i knew over the last 10 yrs they were all hit at some point. aftermarket stuff rarely adds any value unless its something you would have done anyway like an exhaust or stereo. Good luck and post some pics when you get it. one last point that i found valuable when I bought last yr is that these cars were not painted assembled there painted in peices so it is totally normal to see some small changes in spray pattern on the paint, ex the doors paint finish may not match the quarter panels 100%, but since bothy 1/4s were painted together they should match ea other. Also talk to chuck he was very friendly when i called and gave me some great tips. I will be making a visit to him in the spring!!
 
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dbow119

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MoparMap-Thank you very much for your informative response.
Lespauldude and 1bad540-Thank you for your responses. I will contact Chuck when I get home.
 

Steve M

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The best thing you can do is have a Viper owner familiar with these cars look it over on a lift before buying...I did NOT do this, but wish I had just to make certain there were no issues. Thankfully, there have been none whatsoever. Get the belly pan off, and look for any obvious signs of issues (bent frame members, leaks from the transmission/rear end, etc.). Pay close attention to the engine oil cooler lines both at the oil cooler (sits towards the front of the engine bay behind the passenger side head light) and the block...they are known to weep/seep/leak due to a poor seal design, so if they are leaking (you'll see it if they are), they'll need to be replaced sooner than later. Check whatever fluids you can...if the clutch/brake/power steering fluids looks dirty, it's not necessarily a sign of bad things to come, but it will indicate whether or not things were regularly serviced. You can also take note of how much crap (gravel, etc.) comes out when you drop the belly pan...if there are squirrels living there, you can be sure that the previous owner didn't even think about servicing the transmission/rear end. It'll also be a good chance to look at any damage to the paint underneath the front bumper and along the side sills...don't expect it to be pristine, but if it looks like the car was used on the set of The Dukes of Hazzard, pass.

A test drive will be the most telling...make sure you take the car through all its paces, including tight turns around a parking lot. If you hear crunching/clicking/groaning from the rear end, it could be the sign of a bigger problem, although some skittering of the front tires across the pavement should be expected when the car is cold. Make sure the fluid temps come up and stay steady, even when parked idling. Roll both windows up and down, and note and clicking/crunching sounds...Gen III and IV Vipers seem to have window regulator issues (lots of reading on here if you are really interested). A car with the mileage you are looking at should not still be running on the original tires...if they replaced the originals with run-flats, just know that they are leaving a fair amount on the table in terms of ride comfort and overall traction. Michelin Pilot Super Sports are a good street tire, as are the Nitto Invo (the Invo has a softer sidewall for a bit better ride and traction at the expense of handling).

You'll likely have to do some traveling to find what you are looking for, but the drive home from that trip is half the fun.
 
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